June 9, 2017 — It’s bit premature to start talking about bay scallops. After all, the season doesn’t get underway until Nov. 6 in state waters. But at about this time of the year, last season’s scallops that were too small for harvesting — scallops must be at least two and a quarter inches in length from midhinge to midbill and have an annual growth ring — are getting ready to have some fun in the bays and will begin to spawn (they will do the dirty deed again in September). And those offspring, more commonly known as “bugs,” that survive and grow to maturity will be the ones that can be harvested in November of 2018, as a scallop has a very short lifespan of just 18 months.

Our bay scallops, which many chefs and gourmets cherish as the most succulent and the sweetest in the world, are a commodity that can fluctuate wildly. They are very delicate and sensitive creatures that are subject to a wide variety of predators and conditions that can easily disrupt their supply from year to year. Enormous fluctuations in the New York State annual harvest have been the norm — 168,674 pounds in 1973 followed by 678,417 pounds the next year. But starting in the early 1980s, repeated brown tides and algae blooms significantly decreased the harvest, and catches have never returned to their historically high levels.

A particularly long-lasting, dark brown tide during the summer of 1996 suffocated just about every scallop and by 1997 the state recorded a scallop harvest of zero. Last season’s statistics are not in yet, but by all accounts, it was a big dud. Harvests were scarce just about everywhere and prices soared to upward of $45 a pound in some local fish markets when they were even available. As the season dragged into winter until its close at the end of March, very few boats could be seen plying our East End bays to dredge up a bushel or two for a hard day’s pay.

But last season did provide a glimmer of hope for the upcoming season, as hordes of bugs were seen in many locations on the East End, in particular in the Peconics. And the few dozen of those little guys I transplanted and sprinkled around my boat slip last November also seemed to have survived the winter in good condition. However, whether Mother Nature will cooperate over the next few months to ensure they survive remains to be seen. A lot can happen between now and November that will ultimately determine whether we will witness an improved scallop harvest later this fall and signs of hope for the season after that.

Here’s to a successful spawn and clean water this summer so that we can continue to savor this treasured shellfish that we are so fortunate to have in our backyard. Only time will tell.